North Korea trash balloons disrupt flights in Seoul, cause rooftop fire
- North Korean balloon blitz is part of a show of anger at South Korea for measures at the border
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North Korean trash balloons flying into South seen at border
North Korea has sent about 500 balloons laden with trash into South Korea’s air space over the past 24 hours, officials in the South said on Thursday, disrupting flights and igniting a fire on the roof of a residential building.
The balloons are part of an ongoing propaganda campaign by Pyongyang against North Korean defectors and activists in the South, who regularly send balloons carrying items such as anti-Pyongyang leaflets medicine, money and USB sticks loaded with K-pop videos and dramas.
A suspected balloon suspended take-offs and landings at Seoul’s Gimpo Airport on Wednesday evening for two hours, an official at the Korea Airports Corporation said.
Balloons have affected traffic at South Korea’s main international airport, Incheon, several times in recent weeks.
![South Korean officials clean up the contents of a trash-carrying balloon on a street in Seoul. Photo: AFP South Korean officials clean up the contents of a trash-carrying balloon on a street in Seoul. Photo: AFP](https://img.i-scmp.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=contain,width=1024,format=auto/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/07/25/12f7ddd3-2832-4a21-8610-97f6db5eb7e5_ddb3a48c.jpg)
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